Cardin: Health care reform doable'

Towson, Hagerstown heckling doesn't dissuade senator

Protesters of health care reform gather outside of Towson University's Center for the Arts on Monday during a town hall meeting in which U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin spoke and took questions from the audience.

HAGERSTOWN — After rancorous town halls here and in Towson, U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin still believes Congress can pass legislation to reform the nation's health care system.

Lawmakers can craft a bill that brings down the cost of health care and maintains quality, he said. The trick will be to make the bill more specific.

"As we can answer specific questions, I think the bill is going to get more popular support. I think most Americans believe we need to fix what's wrong with our health care system today," Cardin said Thursday. "I think health care reform is doable."

The bill has to be drafted in a way that shows people how it affects insurance and Medicare and how it will be paid for without adding to the federal deficit, he said.

At Towson University on Monday and Hagerstown Community College on Wednesday, Cardin faced boos, heckling and harsh criticism over the reform plan. Both events drew boisterous audiences of 400 to 500. And both events turned away several hundred.

Audience members attacked the plan on a number of fronts. Some objected to it as an increase in government control over their lives. Some opposed the potential cost. Some complained about the vague assertions that a measure that included a tax increase would save money.

"All they want to do with government is just give away the money we're contributing, and it's time they start thinking about who's footing the bill," said Don Kyne of Parkville at the Towson event.

A man in Hagerstown accused Cardin of violating the U.S. Constitution by using authority not granted lawmakers; the crowd applauded. At another point, the audience chanted, "Just say no." The audience roared approval for a woman who declared that the bill meant the American people no longer trust their government.

Through it all, Cardin took the acrimony stoically.

"I didn't take it personally. I didn't think it was meant to be personal," Cardin said Thursday. "Sometimes the person let their emotions get away from them, but this is their right to express their views."

After the event, Del. Christopher B. Shank (R-Dist. 2B) of Hagerstown said audience members were voicing their worries.

"They are fearful about what's happening in Washington, not only with this bill but with a fundamental transformation of the American way of life. And I think this health care bill is the tipping point," said Shank, the minority whip in the House of Delegates.

"This is not the silent majority anymore. The folks are coming out, and they're waiting in lines on a hot summer day, and they're here to take the nation back."

Neither Hagerstown nor Towson could be considered a ground zero for support of the legislation.

"I don't think I picked the area for the political trends in that area," said Cardin (D) of Pikesville. "Some were more interested in making noise than listening, but by and large, it accomplished a very important purpose in our democracy."

He said he could have selected areas where people were more sympathetic to the proposal.

"That was not my purpose," he said. "My purpose was to give the people of Maryland the chance to have their voices heard in this debate, to ask questions and get answers from me and be part of the process."

Cardin told the Hagerstown audience that he would not support a bill that increased the deficit or did not reduce the growth rate in medical costs. He said he would support tort reform if it is included in the bill.

Both events were accompanied by sizable demonstrations outside.

At Hagerstown, on a highway leading to the college, April Parrot was one of more than a dozen adults holding signs decrying the "socialism" contained in "Obamacare."

"I know for my family, I don't want a committee deciding health care for my children," said Parrott of Hagerstown. She said she and the others learned of the event through the Hagerstown "tea party" mailing list.

She was joined by Cindy Hill, also of Hagerstown.

"I have a special-needs son. If a committee decides whether he's a good investment for health care, they might look at him and decide he's not worthy," Hill said.

Steve Hudson, a Silver Spring physician who ran unsuccessfully for the 8th Congressional District in 2008, was one of hundreds outside the Towson event. He held a yellow Gadsden flag, recognizable by its "Don't Tread on Me" motto.

"There has to be dissent in this country," he said. "That's what it was founded on."